Musings and Snippets from a recently retired JP. I served for 31 years, mostly in west London. I was Chairman of my Bench for some years, and a member of the National Bench Chairmen's Forum All cases are based on real ones, but anonymised and composited. All opinions are those of one or more individuals. JPs swear to enforce the law of the land, whether or not they approve of it. Nothing on here constitutes legal advice.

Thursday, July 07, 2011

Quite, M'lud

The Lord Chief Justice, who is, apart from The Queen, my judicial boss, thinks that too many out-of-court penalties are being dished out. For what it's worth, I agree with His Lordship.

Policing and adjudicating are very different arts, and it is right to keep them separate as far as possible.

Unfortunately, the relative cheapness of fixed penalties and the like means that there is next to no chance of any restriction on their use.

What The Papers Said

40 Bloggers That Really Count (Times)There are 30,000 or so unpaid magistrates across England and Wales. For five years, one of them has anonymously detailed the cut and thrust of the job, providing a grimly funny insight into Britain’s sinful underbelly with the same feel and tone as a Hogarth or Dickens.